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#062 Poliwrath
my rating: 5
Poliwrath is one of those Pokemon that few people seem to remember, which is kind of a shame, since this guy and its pre -evolutions used to be all over advertisements in the earliest days of the franchise. Heck, there was even a Pokemon-themed cereal where one of the marshmallow shapes was modeled after Poliwrath's pre-evolution Poliwhirl. Even Red's Adventures incarnation has a Poliwrath (and, incidentally, it is Poli and not Pikachu or any of the Kanto Starters that is Red's true first Pokemon in that continuity). This is because this line is creator Satoshi Tajiri's favorite Pokemon, though sadly it just didn't take off with fans and Poliwrath and its family were gradually phased out in favor of Pokemon that did become hits with the fanbase. Even I have to admit that I almost always overlook this jacked-up tadpole in favor of other Water-types such as Lapras, Starmie or Vaporeon.

#118 Goldeen
my rating: 5
Goldeen is one of those Pokemon that's really easy to forget about because it can only be found on water and isn't as common as things like Tentacool. It is also the first of a long line of fish-based Pokemon that aren't really all that strong: sure, Goldeen is stronger and more versatile than Magikarp, but Magikarp eventually becomes the much more formidable Gyarados, while Goldeen's evolution is, while not terrible, kinda meh overall. Goldeen and Seaking do have a few things of note, though: back in Gen 1, Waterfall was a move exclusive to them, and in later Gens they got Lightningrod as a Hidden Ability, turning one of their weaknesses into an immunity.

Due to certain circumstances, I was unable to enter and update for the past three days, but the dust has settled and we can get back to business.

The Pokemon of the day is...

#553 Krookodile
my rating: 7.5
I really like this Pokemon. I like how Gamefreak decided to complement Hippowdon by introducing another Pokemon based on a dangerous semi-aquatic animal but making it swim on sand instead of water. Unlike the hippos, though, Krookodile and its pre-evolutions are Ground/Dark, a type combination that has so far been unique to these guys. Krookodile also has some really cool Abilities, but my favorite of these is Moxie, as I have fond memories of when I first played White version and my Moxie Krookodile Delilah just tore through everything. A good croc.

By far one of my favorite mons. I used one in White version but I have fonder memories of using one in my black randomizer run. It was my second catch and he was an absolute powerhouse throughout the entire run.

#183 Marill
my rating: 7
It's hard to believe that there was a time when this little bubble mouse was the subject of so many rumors and fandom legends, but it happened. When it was first teased people noticed the resemblance to Pikachu right away and dubbed it "Pikablu", and also attached a whole slew of hilariously inaccurate rumors to it, such as claiming it to be an evolved form of Raichu, that it was a Legendary/Mythical (often both rumors overlapped), and that it was only one of a group of "Pikas" and that there would be "Pikared", "Pikapink", "Pikagreen" and god knows what else. Hilariously, that last rumor of multiple Pikas turned out to be the most accurate, as Pikaclones have been an ongoing trend since Gen 3. Funnier still, Marill is usually not considered part of the Pikaclone lineup due to not being an Electric-type like the others. I personally think it would have been interesting and much cooler if all the Pikaclones followed Marill's example of being entirely different types to the original instead of all aping Pikachu and being Electric. The whole Pikaclone trend would probably be a lot less controversial if this was the case, though thankfully they've been making them more divergent typewise since Gen 5, as all the Pikaclones since then have been pairing the usual Electric with something else. Going back to Marill itself, though, another cool thing about it is that it began life as one of the weaker mons in the game, but the advent of new Generations always brought it and its family new buffs: Gen 3 gave them Huge Power, Gen 4 gave them the physical/special split which allowed them to use their STAB to its full extent, Gen 6 brought them the Fairy-type and the ability to legally run both Belly Drum and Aqua Jet in the same moveset. Marill and its brethren are now notorious for being one of the most menacing battlers out there despite looking so cute and harmless, a juxtaposition that is never not fun.

Used one of these for the first time during my pokemon insurgence nuzlocke and holy crap the recent generations have made this guy a complete powerhouse. Plus the Pikablu rumors are always fun to read through.

#541 Swadloon
my rating: 7
Swadloon is cute. Maybe not as much as its pre-volution or evolution, but it's still very darn cute. There's just something really precious and endearing about a little bug cocooning itself with leaves like they were blankets. Swadloon visibly resembles the stereotype of Hikikomori, people who shut themselves off from society for months on end. No wonder this little critter evolves via happiness: you need to draw it out of its shy shell! That's just... so adorable!

Used one during a White 2 nuzlocke run. I like it better than most cocoon stage bugs since it actually has some decent battling capabilities. It's a bit more difficult to raise as a result but it makes it easier to use in a nuzlocke for sure.